White House calls "birther" issue "distraction"

WASHINGTON, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Tuesday rejected suspicions about President Barack Obama's birth certificate, calling the attention on the issue a "distraction."

"It is a distraction, obviously," said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. "This is a settled issue. The birth certificate that the campaign put up online has been available for everyone to see around the globe."

Some conservative political figures have been raising the issue of Obama's birthplace for years. According to U.S. Constitution, only natural citizens, that is people born in the United States, can become presidents. Lately, billionaire businessman Donald Trump has been raising doubts about the president's birthplace and the certificate itself.

"It's the same birth certificate you get to get a driver's license. Anybody who was born in Hawaii who asks for their birth certificate gets the same thing that the campaign and the White House has provided to the press," said Carney. Obama was born in Hawaii, according to the certificate.

"There are so many major issues that are facing this country that need to be addressed by the president and by the Congress," lamented Carney, calling the "birther" issue "an unfortunate distraction from the issues that I think most Americans care about. "